New Canadian Lower Silurian Fossils.—Mr. Billings has described, in a bulletin recently issued (Montreal, November, 1861), the following new species from the Potsdam group (Primordial-zone), at Straits of Belle Isle, north-east coast of America:—Palæophycus incipiens, Archæocyathus atlanticus, A. Minganensis, Obolus Labradoricus, O. chromatica, O. cingulata, Conocephalites miser, Bathyurus senectus, B. parvulus, Salterella rugosa, S. obtusa, and S. pulchella.[1] From Vermont:—Palæophycus congregatus, Orthisina fistinata, Camerella antiquata, Conocephalites Adamsi, C. teucer, C. arenosus, and C. vulcanus. From rocks of the age of the Trenton, Chazy, and Black River Limestone:—Eospongia Roemerii, E. varians, Astylospongia parvula, Lingula Perryi, Lituites Fanisworthi, L. imperator, and Ampyx Halli.
The new genera are Eospongia, Archæocyathus, Obolella, and Salterella. The second includes small Brachiopods allied to Obolus (of Eichwald), but differing internally. The fourth is for a group of small conical bodies, possibly Pteropoda, and related to Theoa, Morris, and Puginuculus, Barrande.
Carboniferous Beds of Dinant.—M. E. Dupont, a young naturalist, has collected an immense quantity of fossils from the carboniferous limestone of Dinant. His notice, communicated to the Belgian Academy, commences with the description of twelve localities, Celles, Hayont, Furfooz, Fossés, Freyr, Pauquys, Matignolles, Flavion, Corenne, Yves, Anseremme, and Awagne, and is accompanied by lists of the species most common in each locality. To it is appended a table showing the number of species met with in each of those localities, and the names of those which have been determined. Two hundred and seventy described species belong to 57 genera and 8 classes, and are from localities hitherto little known; while 255 others, belonging to 36 genera, are probably new species, by which our paleontological records will be enriched. The labours of M. Dupont, moreover, make apparent a very remarkable fact in Natural History, namely, the difference of the animal populations in very near localities at the same epoch, and on a ground-bottom of the same nature; for although the author only occupied himself with a district not more than eight leagues square, and has confined his investigations to the calcareous rocks of one geological stage—the Calcaire de Tournay—each of these twelve sections presents a fauna with peculiar characters.
Duties of Mineral Agents.—Many works on the improvement of estates treat fully on agriculture and forestry, but all either wholly neglect or only cursorily touch upon the mineral resources.
The 'Dublin Quarterly Journal of Science,' for January last, contains an excellent article "On the Duties of Mineral Agents," in which there is a variety of useful, practical information. The subjects treated are,—1. The Mineral Agent's Relations with the Mine-Lord. 2. Mineralogy. 3. Table of Characters of Ores. 4. Mining Geology. 5. Mineral Chemistry. 6. Mine-surveying. 7. An Appendix containing Forms of Take-Notes, Mining-Leases, and Licenses, etc.
Saurian Remains in the Jura.—M. Chepard, one of the engineers of the railway now constructing in the vicinity of Poligny, has noticed in the 'Sentineile du Jura,' the discovery, in making one of the cuttings for the line, of the remains of a large Saurian, which, from the dimensions of the bones, he considers to have been from thirty to forty metres (?) in length. The remains consist of three claws of from eight to twelve centimetres in length, several phalanges with fine articular surfaces, a part of
- ↑ He has also identified from the same place, Scholithus linearis and Barrandia (vel Obolus) Thomsoni, and B. (v. O.) Vermontana.
